mekka okereke 14h ago

They pay $34 for burgers. Should their fire department service be free? Opening a new fire department in one of NYC's richest neighborhoods has some of America's pettiest journalists asking silly questions in headlines again.🤡

The article acknowledges the fire department analogy, then blows past it.🤷🏿‍♂️

The solve for "Sometimes when a service like free childcare is available to all, marginalized communities get squeezed out," is "Address that racism."

It's not "Therefore waste incredible amounts of time and money trying to means test something that society should just make available to all.🤡"

Show threadLaura "Tegan" Gjovaag ⛈ 🐸11h ago

@mekkaokereke
When school lunch programs throw out the "who deserves to get free lunches?" and just provide for every child, the entire program is cheaper due to the lack of an enforcement layer, all children get fed, and children learn more and pay attention better.

Being overly concerned that someone might get something they don't "deserve" usually ends up screwing over the ones who need help most.

We're supposed to "promote the general welfare" of the public - not gate-keep who gets help.

Show threadBlaine Cross7h ago
@realtegan @mekkaokereke Free school lunches for all is what Democrats and Gov. Walz did in Minnesota.
Show threadLaura "Tegan" Gjovaag ⛈ 🐸7h ago
@blainecross @mekkaokereke
When I saw how well it works locally - the general health of students went up, as well as attendance, grades, and graduation rates - I was completely won over to the idea of free lunches (and breakfasts) for all school children. I cheered when I heard what Walz did in Minnesota.
Show threadPaul_IPv65h ago

@realtegan @blainecross @mekkaokereke

it's one of the cheapest and most humane ways to raise graduation rates & test scores, lower absenteeism.

if someone is all bent about "someone taking advantage of free school meals", that tells me more about that person than about problems with the program.

Show threadIsocat

Well, sure, but that would threaten the productivity of the school-to-prison pipeline.

@paul_ipv6 @realtegan @blainecross @mekkaokereke

12:34amWeb